SILS Privacy Policy

1. Privacy is important to the Saskatchewan Information and Library Services Consortium (SILS) and to you. SILS is committed to handling your personal information with care. We assure you that we protect your privacy when you visit our member libraries and our website. All patrons have a right to privacy and confidentiality regarding their personal information and their use of library resources.

The Saskatchewan Information and Library Services Consortium (SILS) is a partnership among Saskatchewan’s public library systems that enables library patrons to:

search for items on a single province-wide online catalogue

borrow materials from any public library in Saskatchewan using a single library card

return borrowed materials to any public library in Saskatchewan.

2. Personal information is any piece of information that relates to a living, identifiable person.

The Saskatchewan Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act defines personal information. The legal definition of personal information is very broad. However, the SILS Consortium collects only personal information that is directly related to your use of library services such as your name, address, phone number(s) and e-mail address. In the case of children, we collect information about both the child and the parent/guardian.

Subject to subsections (1.1) and (2), “personal information” means personal information about an identifiable individual that is recorded in any form, and includes:a) information that relates to the race, creed, religion, colour, sex, sexual orientation, family status or marital status, disability, age, nationality, ancestry or place of origin of the individual;b) information that relates to the education or the criminal or employment history of the individual or information relating to finance transactions in which the individual has been involved;c) information that relates to health care that has been received by the individual or to the health history of the individual;d) any identifying number, symbol or other particular assigned to the individual;e) the home or business address, home or business telephone number, fingerprints or blood type of the individual;f) the personal opinions or view of the individual except where they are about another individual;g) correspondence sent to a local authority by the individual that is implicitly or explicitly of a private or confidential nature, and replies to the correspondence that would reveal the content of the original correspondence, except where the correspondence contains the views or opinions of the individual with respect to another individual;h) the views or opinions of another individual with respect to the individual;i) information that was obtained on a tax return or gathered for the purposes of collecting a tax;j) information that describes an individual’s finances, assets, liabilities, net worth, bank balance, financial history or activities or credit worthiness;k) or the name of the individual where: (i) it appears with other personal information that relates to the individual; or (ii) the disclosure of the name itself would reveal personal information about the individual.

3. Only personal information that is necessary for the delivery of library services will be collected unless authorized by you.

For example, we will collect your personal information to:

issue library cards

identify materials on loan

identify overdue materials and notify you about overdues

maintain records of fines owing

register you for participation in library programs

contact you with an answer to a reference question

All of your personal information is stored in Canada. However, e-mail, TXT/SMS and telephone notifications are delivered via third parties located in the United States. Notifications delivered in this way include notices telling you when your materials are due, overdue notices, and notifications of holds. These third parties have a contract with SILS that requires them to use the data we send them solely for delivering notifications to you about your account. This data is deleted from third party servers after notifications are delivered to you.

4. When we collect your personal information, we will tell you about the purposes for which it is being collected and used.

5. We use your personal information only for the purposes for which it was collected or in a manner consistent with those purposes. We don’t sell, rent or loan patrons’ personal information. We do not share or divulge your personal information without your permission, except to:

Authorized vendors who provide online library services

a lawyer representing the library

a collection agency in order to collect money owing to the library

comply with a subpoena, warrant or order made by a court or investigative body named in The Regulations to The Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act.

6. We retain your personal information only as long as necessary for the delivery of library services.

Information necessary to issue a library card – name (and name of parent/guardian, if patron is a child), address, phone number and e-mail address

Items on loan – Only until all items are returned

Patron’s borrowing history – Only retained if patron requests it

Accounts with outstanding balances

Automated telephone calls to notify you of overdues and holds – Only your phone number and call length are stored so that the library phone bills can be verified

Email and TXT/SMS messages to notify you of date due, holds and overdues – Subject line and recipient’s email address stored for 30 days. Same information for bounced messages, stored for 90 days. Copy of the email message stored for 24 hours

Registrations for programs – Only until the program has concluded

Phone numbers for callbacks re reference questions – Only until the patron has been contacted with answer to their question

7. You have a right to access your personal information at any time without charge and to correct any inaccuracies in that information.

Information SILS has collected about you appears in your online library account. This account provides your name, and contact information you have provided (address, phone number, email, etc.). It also provides you with a list of the items you currently have on loan, requests (holds) you have placed, and any fees owing. You can request that a record of your reading history be maintained by adjusting the settings in your account. To access this information log into your library’s website, click “my account” and then log into your account using the barcode number on your library card and your PIN.

You have a right to correct any inaccuracies in the information SILS has collected about you. For minor changes such as address or name changes or typographical errors contact your local library. For serious issues such as possible identity theft contact SILS’s privacy officer (name and contact information to be added here).

8. We are committed to ensuring that your personal information is as accurate, complete and up-to-date as possible.

​9. You are under no obligation to provide your personal information to us. However, choosing not to provide certain information may make you ineligible for specific library services.

For example, if you choose not to provide your name and basic contact information we cannot issue a library card. We must know who is borrowing library materials and how to contact them if the materials are not returned. Or, if you choose not to give your phone number or email address to a reference librarian, the librarian cannot get back to you with a response to a complex reference question.

10. Library staff do not have access to your Personal Identification Number (PIN) and will only ask if necessary to provide library services.

For example, a librarian may ask for your PIN if helping you sign in to an online service or if they are helping you place a hold on the website.

11. Information about your reading preferences or habits is confidential and will not be used directly or indirectly to identify the types of materials you use or to identify you as an individual.

12. We have many technological, physical and operational safeguards in place to secure your personal information and to prevent unauthorized access, use or disclosure.

​13. We collect, use and protect the privacy of your personal information under the authority of The Saskatchewan Local Authority Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and The Saskatchewan Public Libraries Act, 1996.